Deep Dive NATO’s Indo-Pacific Strategy Is Growing — Even as Washington Sends Mixed Signals Inside an Asia Society discussion on what the Indo-Pacific Four (IP4) are actually trying to achieve with NATO. By Olga Nesterova • 5 min read
Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a press encounter with President Trump at the 2026 NATO Summit in Ankara Daily Brief NATO Day Two: Billions for Ukraine, an Alliance Rearming — and a New War Escalating Beside It NATO’s Ankara summit ended with a firm declaration of collective defense, major new weapons commitments and a two-year military support pledge for Ukraine. But the summit’s final hours were dominated by a different conflict: renewed American and Iranian strikes, the apparent collapse of their ceasefire framework and By Olga Nesterova • 5 min read
Daily Brief Middle East Brief: Hormuz Erupts Again as Washington Reopens the Iran War The United States has launched a new wave of strikes against Iranian targets after three merchant ships were attacked near the Strait of Hormuz, reopening a conflict Washington had presented only weeks ago as moving toward a negotiated settlement. The strikes targeted Iranian air defense systems, maritime targeting infrastructure, and By Olga Nesterova • 5 min read
PM Mark Carney walks with President Erdogan at the NATO Summit in Ankara | Photo: shared by Carney on X Daily Brief NATO Summit Day One: Trump Questions the Alliance as Allies Build Around Ukraine The first day in Ankara has produced two sharply different visions of NATO: one focused on rebuilding the alliance to confront an increasingly coordinated group of adversaries, and another questioning why the United States should remain so deeply invested in European security at all. By Olga Nesterova • 14 min read
Daily Brief Pre-NATO Summit Brief: China Tests the Pacific, Russia Tests the Alliance On the eve of the NATO summit in Ankara, the headline issue was supposed to be Ukraine. The first day of the summit is heavily built around Ukraine — from bilateral meetings, including Prime Minister Mark Carney’s meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to foreign ministers’ discussions and broader allied coordination. By Olga Nesterova • 4 min read
Trump speaking at the White House, July 6, 2026 News Treasury Launches Trump Accounts App as Billionaire-Backed Investment Program Goes Live The U.S. Treasury has officially launched the Trump Accounts mobile app, allowing eligible families to open and manage federally administered investment accounts for children. According to Treasury, the app enables users to track account balances, monitor investment performance, make contributions, and access financial literacy resources. The accounts are designed By Olga Nesterova • 2 min read
Editor's Note Editor's Note | America 250 Two hundred and fifty years ago, America was founded on an idea. Not an idea of wealth. Not an idea of military strength. Not even an idea of geography. It was founded on the belief that free people could govern themselves. That power should never belong to one family or By Olga Nesterova • 4 min read
"The Patrouille de France flying over the Statue of Liberty. What a symbol. 250 years of shared history." | Photo shared by President Macron on X Daily Brief America Turns 250, Russia Strikes Kyiv, and Canada Deepens Its Indo-Pacific Push Good evening. The United States is preparing to celebrate its 250th birthday this weekend with major events across Washington, New York and cities throughout the country. But the festivities are arriving alongside extreme heat, extensive security operations and — particularly in New York — an extraordinary concentration of major events. Here is By Olga Nesterova • 11 min read
Photo shared by Kanzler Merz on X News Germany’s Government Finally Has a Reform Package. Now Comes the Hard Part. Germany’s governing coalition has unveiled a broad package of tax, pension, labor and administrative reforms intended to revive Europe’s largest economy after months of internal disagreement and growing pressure on Chancellor Friedrich Merz. The 34-point program combines approximately €10 billion in annual income-tax relief, major changes By Olga Nesterova • 7 min read
Daily Brief Daily Brief: Canada Day, Russia Strikes Kyiv, Britain Rearms and Venezuela’s Earthquake Toll Rises Happy Canada Day! 🇨🇦 Happy Canada Day to our Canadian readers, subscribers and supporters! Canada has been part of ONEST’s international community from the beginning, and Canadian institutions, diplomats, officials and readers continue to play an important role in our reporting. Thank you for reading, sharing our work and supporting By Olga Nesterova • 15 min read
Explained Macron and WHO Chief Warn Childhood Is Being Rewritten by Screens — But Bans Alone May Not Be Enough French President Emmanuel Macron and WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned Wednesday that digital platforms are no longer just communication tools, but public health environments shaping how children learn, sleep, socialize and understand the world. In a joint commentary published by Project Syndicate and the World Health Organization on By Olga Nesterova • 4 min read
Explained UN Counter-Terrorism Conference Turns to AI, But the Bigger Question Is Governance United Nations Headquarters | New York By Olga Nesterova • 4 min read
